McMafia Will Return For Season 2 On BBC One And AMC
This show kicked off in the midst of anti-Russia sanctions. And, apparently, the efforts of the BBC were not in vain, since McMafia has received praise from the target audience in the UK. Meanwhile, the US debut of McMafia took place on Monday, February 26, 2018, at 10:00 PM PT/ET on AMC. Despite the fact that the McMafia was a mini-series, on May 1, 2018, the BBC officially confirmed that the crime drama had been renewed for a sophomore season.
Global Crime Drama ‘McMafia’ Returning for Second Season https://t.co/URq1HYVqG3
— Variety (@Variety) May 1, 2018
Generally speaking, we have been expecting such a decision. Read our forecast below to find out why we believed so.
First of all, it's worth noting that McMafia has been conceived as an eight-part television adaptation of the eponymous non-fiction book written by journalist Misha Glenny. As a result, the show's format was a mini-series, or rather an eight-part movie. Nevertheless, we were inclined to think that the show's creators would have to take a look at the statistics of the drama series before their decision on renewal or cancellation. As you may have noted, The Night Manager was initially a mini-series. However, a second season has been commissioned by the BBC and AMC last May. Therefore, we didn't think that the show's format could affect the decision on renewal, in the case of positive dynamics.
Statistics
As a result, we assumed that the BBC and AMC most likely would be relying on the statistics in their upcoming decision. Noteworthy that the figures were quite impressive. The premiere of McMafia has garnered 8.51 million viewers (in the UK). The subsequent episodes have drawn the sufficient amount of the viewing audience as well. If McMafia manages to showcase the comparable viewership on AMC, without a doubt, both networks would have to renew McMafia for another season. However, we took into account that AMC is a cable and satellite broadcaster. As a result, the network didn't possess such a vast audience reach like the BBC, a national broadcaster. But, after all, in essence, the show's odds depended on the figures of the viewing audience.
As mentioned above, McMafia has received the universal acclaim among the viewers, while critics were not satisfied enough by watching this show. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of McMafia has a score of 4.0/10 and a 38% approval rating among critics, whereas the viewers have evaluated the crime drama series at 4.7/5/95%. An overall score of McMafia on IMDb is high as well, 7.7/10 ~ 2,600 votes. We concluded thereby that the audience found the show gripping and thus deserving renewal.
Summing up, we believed that McMafia had a good chance of returning for a second season on BBC One and AMC. This series had all the elements of success, such as strong television ratings, an impressive response from the viewers, and gradually growing fandom. Besides, rumor had it that James Norton is regarded as the next James Bond. This actor grabbed attention yet since his participation in War & Peace. As a result, McMafia might serve the second step towards his possible prominent role.
What Is McMafia About?
If you haven't seen this masterpiece on BBC One, or you just want to know a bit about this show, please, read a brief overview below.
The story mostly focuses on Alex Godman, an offspring of a former Russian oligarch with Jewish roots and mafia ties. In spite of his background, Alex raised up his legitimate business in England from scratch. He is now a well-known British investment fund manager, whose primary intention is to break off all ties with his troubled past. However, Alex's uncle Boris has made a big mistake. He attempted on the life of prominent Russian businessman and gangster Vadim Kalyagin. As a result, Vadim has managed to survive. Therefore, he sent a group of killers in London, to eliminate all the members of the Godman family.
In the meantime, Alex is experiencing critical problems relating to his investment fund since his Russian background is revealed in the media. Having been refused by a well-known investor, Alex asks for the help of his uncle. Of course, Boris knows a man who is capable of solving Alex's troubles. They both fly to Israel, to meet Semiyon Kleiman, a wealthy businessman, who is about to invest $200 million in Alex's fund. However, in return, Alex will have to deal with dirty affairs. Alex rejects Semiyon's proposal and returns to London. Upon arrival, he found his uncle at the meeting with the business partners, who are the assassins, in fact. After the battle with the killers Boris dies, while Alex managed to survive.
Having no chances to escape and intending to protect his family, Alex accepts Kleiman's invitation. Semiyon explains Alex the full picture of the situation where he is now. To solve his financial problems and cope his family troubles, Alex is forced to cooperate with Semiyon. Besides, this is the only chance to take revenge on Vadim, who killed his uncle and threatens his family. As a result, Alex plunges into the world of crime, corruption, and revenge.
Season 2 Release Date
Despite the fact that McMafia was conceived as a mini-series, we didn't rule out the possibility of renewal entirely. Besides, this drama series has showcased the excellent results during its first installment. Fortunately, we didn't make a mistake in our forecast. Eventually, the BBC has announced the renewal.We tend to believe that the second season of McMafia could premiere in January or February of 2019, given the current schedule of the show in the US and UK. Thus, we are looking forward to the official news. We will update this article as soon as getting some extended information on the subject. Stay tuned for updates. We will keep you informed.
